"It seems our 'friend' has some doubts about us," he said, laughing. Upon hearing these words from Demon King Piccolo, Doctor Wheelo quickly picked up on the mistrust in his tone.
But what intelligent person wouldn't have their doubts about him? After all, Demon King Piccolo was supposed to be a terrifying demon! Of course, he would doubt everything around him, especially after being released from his seal.
"Oh? Then we must clear up any doubts! Surely your muscles are stiff after spending centuries locked up, aren't they? We thought we'd help you exercise a little," replied Doctor Kochin. He approached a nearby control panel and pressed one of the buttons. Several hidden doors in the room opened.
Demon King Piccolo could have stopped him. Although he was old, his strength had not diminished enough for a mere "human" to act with impunity in front of him.
However, he was characterized by two things: extreme confidence and curiosity. These two aspects of his personality wouldn't usually be problematic, but he had already paid the price for letting himself be carried away by his confidence and desire to see interesting things.
That was one of the reasons he was sealed away! For Demon King Piccolo, though, a mere pair of human researchers, however strange they might be, did not have the means to contain his enormous power.
His only concern was the possibility that the Mafuba, the terrifying technique that sealed him, had been passed on by Mutaito to other martial artists because he remembered that, alongside that annoying human, there were two young apprentices.
'That despicable martial artist, Mutaito, must have died. After all, I've been locked up for centuries, and humans, no matter how strong, have their limits. Could they have founded another martial arts sect?
"When I'm done playing, I'll thin out the martial artists again. "I don't think there are any powerful people among them. A genius like Mutaito comes along once every few centuries,' thought Demon King Piccolo, flashing a confident smile that revealed his terrifying fangs.
"Then let's see what surprise you have in store for this king," said the demon before focusing his ki perception on the entrances and picking up on something inside.
Having studied with the previous Kami-Sama of Earth, Demon King Piccolo knew everything his "good" version knew up to that point, including many energy-related abilities.
Thus, he detected several murky, chaotic, and unstable Ki. He grimaced at this. Even he, who was evil, did not have such poorly controlled ki. His own Ki was undoubtedly pure, and he had striven to maintain that purity because he knew how important control was.
Without control, he couldn't wield his power. Now, weakened by the residual effects of the seal and his old age, control was vital. However, what he felt went against his beliefs. Not even his minions were as strange as the beings he was evaluating.
"Those who use energy like you have particularly good senses, don't they? Surely you've already sensed them, our newest specimens," Wheelo commented. He noticed Demon King Piccolo's expression. Although his voice was synthesized, its expressiveness allowed his listeners to sense the pride in his words.
"My latest generation of Bio-Warriors! Stronger, faster, smarter, and more brutal. Come out and try my 'friend' here!" Doctor Wheelo ordered in a loud voice. Several footsteps, some light and some heavy, could be heard.
Several humanoids of different colors, sizes, and shapes then emerged from each door. No two were alike, and each had its own unique peculiarity. However, to Piccolo, they all shared two things: bloodlust and an abundant Ki, which was extremely deviant even for him.
It wasn't evil; it was something else. That's what had disturbed Demon King Piccolo from the beginning. Then, he reviewed the situation in his mind and came to a strange realization. Although it was absurd, he felt a glimmer of fear and respect for Doctor Wheelo.
"In just a few centuries, it seems that earthlings will advance so much in terms of life and energy. Their energies are unnatural and chaotic because the world does not approve of them. Isn't that so?" Demon King Piccolo murmured, causing Kochin, who barely heard him, to burst out laughing.
"Exactly! Even though you are a legendary being, you must know that humans always find a way. We always do!" Although Kochin was referring to scientific advances, Piccolo inevitably remembered how he had been sealed away by a human after pushing the world's population to its limit, despite being stronger.
It seemed that this was how humans were. They may have been physically weak and unremarkable in their Ki training, but they had wonderful minds. Sometimes, if the conditions are right, an iron will arise in them that bends reality.
This was a universe where idealism and materialism coexisted. The power of human will be a practical example of this. They could perform miracles that seemed impossible, whether through martial arts or pure science.
"Hehehe... although it sounds silly, humanity's greatest anthem has always been that of courage in the face of adversity. I'm not a good person at all, but... I'm a human being!" Doctor Wheelo shouted through the communicator.
The friendly façade was no longer necessary, nor were the false manners. It was time to demonstrate to this demon the power of human science and then utilize his body to create the greatest work of the scientific duo.
Seizing the opportunity, Kochin left the room and closed the door, leaving the Demon King Piccolo with the Bio-Warriors. That was all it took to start the battle.
"Attack!" exclaimed Doctor Wheelo. The various Bio-Warriors smiled when they received this long-awaited command.
They were born to fight! Although their minds were controlled by the two scientists, they were filled with evil and tyrannical thoughts. This made their energy much more chaotic than usual.
Among them, however, was a Bio-Warrior who appeared feminine and was much more stylized than the rest. Her skin, though clearly inhuman with a strong purple hue, was visibly smoother than the others', which had scales, spikes, and various protuberances.
Additionally, this female Bio-Warrior's eyes seemed to shine with intelligence and cunning, setting her apart from her 'siblings.' Unlike the others, she did not lunge at Demon King Piccolo but instead stepped back and observed everyone's actions.
'It seems that at least one of these beings has a brain,' thought Demon King Piccolo as he glanced sideways at the woman who had decided not to attack. This increased the level of danger she represented in his mind.
Since she wasn't attacking him, the demon paid her little attention, concentrating on the enemies jumping in front of him. There were eleven of them, plus the Bio-Warrior who did not cooperate, making a total of twelve.
Although they were weaker than him, quantity surpassed quality here, so he had to be cautious. He decided it was best to take the initiative and attacked the first Bio-Warrior; his hands turned into sharp claws covered in ki.
His movement was fast, precise, and deadly. He had no consideration for other beings besides himself; he certainly wouldn't care about 'synthetic' lives like those of his enemies. His blow was aimed directly at the throat of one of the Bio-Warriors. However, the result was not what he expected.
He wasn't so weak or rusty that he would miss an attack like this. However, despite seriously injuring his enemy's throat and causing a large amount of green blood to spurt out, the Bio-Warrior continued to grab his arm.
"We are not conventional life! We don't have weak points like humans!" he exclaimed with a terrifying, toothy grin.
His actions were enough to momentarily stop Demon King Piccolo, who was being punched and kicked by the other Bio-Warriors. This made the Bio-Warriors think they could win and that they had the supposedly terrifying "legend" under control.
But was that all a being like Piccolo had? No! A shockwave surged from his body, pushing back the surrounding enemies. Although this consumed some of his energy, King Piccolo's eyes narrowed.
"That was a good massage. Here's my payment for the service rendered." Piccolo shook off the nonexistent dust covering his body. In an instant, a pair of thin beams of ki shot out of his eyes and struck the head of the bio-warrior he had wounded at the beginning.
The Bio-Warrior did not avoid the attack. He could not, and even if he could have, he was overly confident in his abilities as a synthetic life form. However, he did not take into consideration the true power and potential of Ki.
He expected to emerge relatively unscathed from Piccolo's attack, but the beams of Ki struck his skull and exploded, decapitating him completely. His headless body fell to its knees before collapsing completely to the ground.
"Looks like I gave him such a good tip that he exploded with excitement!" Piccolo joked, laughing softly as he stepped forward, causing the Bio-Warriors to retreat in fear.
Doctors Wheelo and Kochin watched from a safe distance. Although they had expected this outcome, they were impressed by King Piccolo's apparent ease. However, they were confident in their actions because the real goal was not to defeat him, but rather to ensure his safety.
The goal was to test him and gather useful data. Besides, they had a 'secret' weapon prepared for this demon, so they weren't too afraid. Doctor Wheelo, however, noticed the strange attitude of the female Bio-Warrior and felt a twinge of interest.
These synthetic beings had female or male features, but lacked gender identity or reproductive organs. They were purely for aesthetic purposes. They were disposable weapons and testers of the technology's results, but sometimes gold emerged from the waste.
"Doctor Kochin, if possible, give Bio-Warrior XXXXXX an upgrade. She has shown promising capabilities," said Doctor Wheelo. His fellow scientist nodded in agreement, having had the same thought.
Bulma, who had used her tablet to connect to the laboratory network, had also noticed this female Bio-Warrior's peculiarities. She decided that, if she had the opportunity, she would capture her.
'Although I can't sense the Ki in that room, I can sense the emotions of that Bio-Warrior. It's not as chaotic as the others, which in itself is worth studying.' Bulma's eyes sparkled with interest as she formulated plans to safely capture Letty.
She decided to call her Letty because these Bio-Warriors had no names other than numbers. Surely, with a name, she wouldn't misbehave, right?
Meanwhile, while being observed by three of the greatest minds of humanity today, Demon King Piccolo amply demonstrated his power and inherent cruelty, proving why he had earned his atrocious reputation.
He didn't just defeat the Bio-Warriors; he brutalized and destroyed them. He showed them that their supposed advantages as synthetic life forms were meaningless because they still had conventional weak points, such as a heart or neck.
They still felt pain! They still felt emotions. They couldn't live without their heads! Demon King Piccolo prolonged the suffering of the Bio-Warriors who attacked him. Although they could emit Ki, they lacked the techniques to increase its power. To the demon, they were nothing more than mosquito bites.
Demon King Piccolo was tired due to old age, but he cleverly did not show it. Smiling, he put his hands behind his back and watched the last Bio-Warrior.
"Tell me, do you want to dance too?" Piccolo asked. For the first time, the Bio-Warrior did more than just watch. She smiled.